UFC Signs Rodolfo Bellato, Four Others on Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Rodolfo Bellato was the embodiment of mercilessness.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder was among five hopefuls to punch a ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship during Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he drowned the previously unbeaten Murtaza Talha Ali with punches in the second round of their featured light heavyweight attraction on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ali (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 4:46 into Round 2.

Bellato (11-2, 1-1 DWCS) tipped his spear with a series of savage leg kicks, then engaged the KHK MMA Team standout in the clinch. Ali more than held his own initially, as he uncorked collar-tie uppercuts, elbows off the break and right hands over the top. As time wore on, however, his effectiveness waned. Bellato trapped him along the fence, hacked open a cut under his right eye and overwhelmed the Bahraini with output. He mixed knees to the head and body with punches, elbows and hammerfists to the head. Ali eventually wilted, took a knee in a sign of submission and ate a burst of left hands until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough.

Light heavyweights Magomed Gadzhiyasulov and Jose Medina, bantamweight Victor Hugo Silva Silva and welterweight Mauricio Ruffy are joining Bellato on the UFC roster.

KHK MMA Team’s Gadzhiyasulov kept his perfect professional record intact and did so in relatively overwhelming fashion, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Medina in a three-round light heavyweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Gadzhiyasulov (8-0, 1-0 DWCS).

Medina (11-3, 0-1 DWCS) was game but woefully outmatched, physically and athletically. Gadzhiyasulov tore into him with a variety of techniques, from jabs and one-twos to body kicks, spinning back elbows and even a Showtime kick. He opened cuts underneath Medina’s left eye and across the bridge of his nose, but the finish he sought was never in play. Gadzhiyasulov appeared to run out of gas in Round 3, where he turned to takedowns, ground-and-pound and positional control to salt away another victory.

The loss was Medina’s first in nearly four years.

Meanwhile, Astra Fight Team’s Silva disposed of Eduardo Torres with a kneebar in the second round of their bantamweight co-feature. Torres (16-2, 0-1 DWCS) raised the white flag of surrender 2:16 into Round 2, his five-fight winning streak having run its course.

Silva (24-4, 1-0 DWCS) seized the reins at the start and never let go. He struck for a takedown in the first round, progressed to side control, applied some ground-and-pound and transitioned from an attempted heel hook to a calf slicer. Torres survived but only prolonged the inevitable. Silva countered an ill-advised takedown from the Team Weichafe rep in the middle stanza, sat down on a deep kneebar and bent the joint beyond its bounds. Torres had no choice but to tap.

The 30-year-old Silva has rattled off 13 consecutive victories.

Finally, Ruffy put away Raimond Magomedaliev with punches in the third round of their welterweight pairing. Ruffy (9-1, 1-0 DWCS) drew the curtain 4:45 into Round 3, where the promising Fighting Nerds prospect put his fourth straight win in the books.

Magomedaliev (10-2, 0-1 DWCS) leaned on leg kicks, one-twos and modest clinch work but never shifted out of first gear. His lack of urgency proved costly in the long run. Ruffy chipped away at his lower leg with repeated kicks, weakened his base and let his hands fly once mobility became an issue. Magomedaliev became more and more of a stationary target, and his situation deteriorated noticeably in the third round. Ruffy backed up the Russian with a spinning back elbow, bullied him to the canvas and climbed to full mount with less than a minute left on the clock. Ground-and-pound followed, and Magomedaliev eventually failed to answer the referee’s calls to intelligently defend himself.

The setback snapped a five-fight winning streak for Magomedaliev.